Ground vibration testing of an aircraft is performed to determine the vibration characteristics of the aircraft and to confirm that the aircraft is free from flutter under normal operating conditions. During ground vibration testing, electro-dynamic shakers may be coupled to the aircraft to provide excitation input (e.g., vibration) to the aircraft. The dynamic response of the aircraft to the excitation input may be measured using sensors (e.g., accelerometers) mounted at various locations on the aircraft. The dynamic response may be compared to a structural dynamic analysis of the aircraft for determining the frequency and damping characteristics of the aircraft. The results of the comparison may be used to validate and/or refine the structural dynamic analysis model.
Prior to placing the aircraft in service, it is also necessary to determine the weight of the aircraft for certification of the aircraft. In addition, it is necessary to determine the location of the center of gravity of the aircraft for certification purposes. The determination of the weight and balance (i.e., the location of the center of gravity) of the aircraft is also necessary to determine the operating characteristics of the aircraft including, but not limited to, fuel consumption, rate of climb, and the controllability characteristics of the aircraft.
In conventional practices, the weight and balance of an aircraft is determined prior to performing the ground vibration testing. In one method, the weight and balance is determined by rolling the aircraft landing gear up ramped surfaces and onto scales, recording a weight readout at each landing gear, and then rolling the aircraft off the scales and back down the ramped surfaces. Unfortunately, the process of rolling an aircraft onto and off of scales and recording the weight at each scale is time-consuming. For example, the process of rolling a large commercial aircraft up the ramped surfaces onto a set of scales, recording the weight measurement at each scale, and then rolling the aircraft back off the scales and down the ramped surfaced can take up to 12 hours or longer. In addition, the process of rolling the aircraft up and down the ramped surface poses a level of risk of damage to the aircraft. Furthermore, the lengthy amount of time required to perform a conventional weight and balance analysis of an aircraft adds to the production time because the production of a commercial aircraft is typically not considered to be complete until the weight and balance have been performed.
As can be seen, there exists a need in the art for a system and method of performing the weight and balance of an aircraft in a reduced amount of time. In addition, there exists a need in the art for a system and method of performing the weight and balance of an aircraft which minimizes the level of risk of damage to the aircraft.